- News
MVP Secures Second £500,000 Loan to Boost Own Our Venues Campaign
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By Ryan Moss
- 27 Jun 2025
- 2 min read
Music Venue Properties (MVP) has secured a second £500,000 loan from Figurative to support its ongoing mission to protect grassroots music venues (GMVs) across the UK. The partnership marks the second contribution from the not-for-profit lender, which previously backed MVP’s first ‘Own Our Venues’ campaign in 2022.
Launched last month, the second phase of Own Our Venues aims to purchase the freeholds of seven iconic GMVs, including The Joiners (Southampton), Bedford Esquires, The Croft (Bristol), The Sugarmill (Stoke), Peggy’s Skylight (Nottingham), The Pipeline (Brighton), and The Lubber Fiend (Newcastle).
So far, the campaign has raised over £210,000 through a mix of community shares, music industry investment and match funding, with more than 370 individual investors involved.
The latest funding from Figurative, drawn from its Arts & Culture Impact Fund, will be added to the campaign’s live Crowdfunder, visible alongside the project’s overall target.
The Own Our Venues initiative focuses on shifting GMVs away from insecure commercial leases and into community ownership. Through a unique ‘cultural lease’ model, venues receive affordable rent, support with maintenance, and guidance on financial sustainability, creating long-term security for vital grassroots spaces.
Figurative’s Chief Investment Officer Rachel Green said MVP’s approach is “game-changing,” adding that “community investment attracts further support and unlocks opportunities.” MVP COO Matthew Otridge praised Figurative’s continued backing and emphasised the “collective power” of the campaign: “Every pound invested signals public and industry belief in this vision for a sustainable, community-powered future for live music.”
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